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Exploring the future of interlibrary loan: generalizing the experience of the University of Virginia, USA

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to share opinions about where the future of Interlibrary Loan could go by discussing new methods of providing service to users. These methods include the expansion of arenas in which requests are searched, and several purchase‐on‐demand options.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors describe a framework in which resource sharing transactions are placed within four domains: free, buy, borrow, and rent. New methods of filling requests are discussed within this framework.

Findings

– In this climate of constant change there are risks involved with libraries integrating a new company or service into a workflow. Factors such as reliability and stability, user expectations, cost, and license terms and provisions are important to consider. Also, the time it takes for staff to learn new tasks must also be evaluated. Staff should be encouraged to evaluate these factors, balancing them in a cost‐benefit framework and strategy, with a focus on ensuring library user satisfaction. Exploring how alternative sources can adapt to a request system, including billing infrastructure is fundamental to the future of resource sharing.

Originality/value

– This article is useful for interlibrary loan staff who want to expand their current services or revise their borrowing/lending workflows.